Greetings! :)
Read all of the following instructions very carefully! Don't overlook the end.
For this week's posting, please choose a literary element from any of the chapters we have read so far in In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd. You may choose a character, a setting, chapter titles, or other elements such as figurative language, even animals, etc.
How does Menéndez use the element(s) you have chosen? What statement(s) is Menéndez making? For example, if you choose a character, you might ponder the following questions: does she use a particular character to portray exile in a certain light? Does a character lend specificity to the group of stories so that the reader has no choice but to interpret the stories to always be referring to Cuba? Does a character, in fact, do the opposite? Does a character create a sense of nostalgia for the past, or hope for the future?
Take a look at the context in which your chosen element appears. Find some specific textual evidence (read: quotations) to build a case for what you think Menéndez is doing with this element. When you have evidence, write a statement that summarizes your argument/analysis of what Menéndez accomplishes via your selected character.
Once you have these pieces, write a polished paragraph constructing a central argument about what Menéndez is doing, how, and why. Use specific evidence and/or quotations from Menéndez's text to build your argument throughout your own text. Make sure you end on a concluding note. Post your paragraph.
Make sure you get a chance to read your classmates' paragraphs thoroughly (i.e. don't start reading them at 8:15 Monday morning!). Bring in a printed copy of your own paragraph.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Hybridity and Belonging
Hola,
We are now starting the second unit, "Nostalgia for an Imagined Cuba." You should have noticed along the way that each week in the unit has a more detailed theme. Last week's topic (the final week of the previous unit) was called "Hybridity and Belonging." Gustavo Pérez Firmat's mémoire, Next Year in Cuba, provides a stepping stone between the previous unit and the current one; as you know, we will also discuss this text in the context of nostalgia and imagining.
As you know, titles create certain expectations for the reader. We might say that the title is a sort of lens through which the reader will view the text. Therefore, when selecting a title we must be careful to choose an appropriate lens, which can have any of a wide range of effects. The title might directly state what we want to become obvious in the text, it might deliberately mislead the reader to create a surprise later on, or it might cause anything in between!
Do you consider the (sub)theme title "Hybridity and Belonging" to be appropriate for framing a discussion of Pérez Firmat's text? Why or why not? What connotations does this particular title have? What alternate titles could one use for framing a discussion of this text? Explain.
We are now starting the second unit, "Nostalgia for an Imagined Cuba." You should have noticed along the way that each week in the unit has a more detailed theme. Last week's topic (the final week of the previous unit) was called "Hybridity and Belonging." Gustavo Pérez Firmat's mémoire, Next Year in Cuba, provides a stepping stone between the previous unit and the current one; as you know, we will also discuss this text in the context of nostalgia and imagining.
As you know, titles create certain expectations for the reader. We might say that the title is a sort of lens through which the reader will view the text. Therefore, when selecting a title we must be careful to choose an appropriate lens, which can have any of a wide range of effects. The title might directly state what we want to become obvious in the text, it might deliberately mislead the reader to create a surprise later on, or it might cause anything in between!
Do you consider the (sub)theme title "Hybridity and Belonging" to be appropriate for framing a discussion of Pérez Firmat's text? Why or why not? What connotations does this particular title have? What alternate titles could one use for framing a discussion of this text? Explain.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Language Choice
Hello again!
We have been talking recently about the importance of language choice when writing. The vocabulary and register (the level of formality) we use creates a certain diction. The tone helps create certain emotional or other effects for the reader. The style adds to the tone and usually indicates what the writer's goal is. Figurative language (which we use all the time, even if we don't think about it or realize it!) also adds layers of complexity, but such expressions can endanger a piece's overall effect, as we saw in class, if they are used inappropriately in their context. We could go on and on about types of language choices one must make when writing. Each word counts. Each word affects the reader. Each word must aim for writing's ultimate objective: communication.
I'd like you to think about your own language choices in previous writing that you have done. Consider a piece of writing you have produced prior to now, last semester in a writing seminar or perhaps in high school. If need be, you may use an example from the essays you have written so far in our class. What are two examples of language choice from your own writing which make you particularly proud? Why did you choice the vocabulary, expression, figurative language, etc. and what effect did you hope to create? Explain your language choice in the two contexts you select.
We have been talking recently about the importance of language choice when writing. The vocabulary and register (the level of formality) we use creates a certain diction. The tone helps create certain emotional or other effects for the reader. The style adds to the tone and usually indicates what the writer's goal is. Figurative language (which we use all the time, even if we don't think about it or realize it!) also adds layers of complexity, but such expressions can endanger a piece's overall effect, as we saw in class, if they are used inappropriately in their context. We could go on and on about types of language choices one must make when writing. Each word counts. Each word affects the reader. Each word must aim for writing's ultimate objective: communication.
I'd like you to think about your own language choices in previous writing that you have done. Consider a piece of writing you have produced prior to now, last semester in a writing seminar or perhaps in high school. If need be, you may use an example from the essays you have written so far in our class. What are two examples of language choice from your own writing which make you particularly proud? Why did you choice the vocabulary, expression, figurative language, etc. and what effect did you hope to create? Explain your language choice in the two contexts you select.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Identity Out of Place
Hello again! Everyone is doing a great job with the posting so far. Keep it up.
This week's question to ponder through your posting is the following:
What happens to identity when people are removed from their home, either through forced or voluntary exile? Can identity remain attached to one's homeland, when one is no longer physically present? What types of concepts step in to take the place, so to speak, of the physical place?
Maria Cristina Garcia offers some thoughts on this topic, but I would like you to dwell on your own ideas. As a starting point, you may wish to think about people you know yourselves, such as friends, family members, etc. They might be exiles or immigrants. How do they maintain a sense of culture identified with their place of origin? Or is that endeavor impossible?
This week's question to ponder through your posting is the following:
What happens to identity when people are removed from their home, either through forced or voluntary exile? Can identity remain attached to one's homeland, when one is no longer physically present? What types of concepts step in to take the place, so to speak, of the physical place?
Maria Cristina Garcia offers some thoughts on this topic, but I would like you to dwell on your own ideas. As a starting point, you may wish to think about people you know yourselves, such as friends, family members, etc. They might be exiles or immigrants. How do they maintain a sense of culture identified with their place of origin? Or is that endeavor impossible?
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